Under the policy establishing the Town Forest Committee, the Committee is charged with completing a stewardship plan, a master plan, adopting rules and regulations, and coordinating scheduling of Town Forest use by community groups. The stewardship plan and master plan (aka Natural Resources Inventory) are complete. The Town Forest Committee is now reviewing and revising its rules and regulations. The two plans, a survey of Town Forest users, and input from the public meeting on the Natural Resources Inventory all inform the discussion. A public hearing will be scheduled once the draft rules are finalized by the Committee. The Committee encourages interested parties to review these documents (links can be found above).

Completed Projects:

The Town Forest Committee worked with the Massachusetts Audubon Ecological Extension Service to complete a natural resource inventory and management plan for the Town Forest. The draft plan was presented in a public meeting held in October 2012. Links to the final plan and presentations can be found above. Results of a survey of Town Forest users can be found above as well. Comments by survey respondents illuminate the interests of different user groups.

The Town Forest Stewardship & Management Plan was completed in July, 2010. The Committee hired a forester to complete the report, which closely follows a format laid out by the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation. The full report can be found at the link above.

Mission Statement:

The Town Forest Committee's primary function is to oversee the care, custody and management of the Reading Town Forest.